In a surprising revelation, it’s been clarified that Hello Kitty is not, in fact, a cat. This unexpected news has left many fans puzzled.
According to her creators, Hello Kitty is actually depicted as a little girl from London, which has sparked curiosity and disbelief among her global audience.
The beloved character was brought to life in 1974 by Japanese designer Yuko Shimizu and is managed by the Japanese company Sanrio, with Yuko Yamaguchi contributing to her design.
Known by her full name, Kitty White, Hello Kitty is instantly recognizable by her charming face, iconic red bow on her right ear, and her distinct yellow nose. She first made her appearance on a coin purse back in the 1970s.
Since then, Hello Kitty has evolved into a worldwide franchise, expanding into animated series, comics, music, video games, theme parks, fashion collaborations, and films.
Her televised adventures include popular shows such as “Hello Kitty and Friends,” “Hello Kitty’s Paradise,” “Hello Kitty: Super Style!,” and “Hello Kitty Fun.”
Hello Kitty fans are only just realising she’s NOT a cat after baffling statement from creators – and their minds are blown
Fans of the iconic fictional character have been left scratching their heads after the creators have claimed that she’s a little girl from London
She also boasts 6.2 million followers on her official Instagram account, which she shares highlights from her latest season of Hello Kitty and Friends Supercute Adventures, her collaborations, potential phone wallpapers for fans and events that she has been to.
In July last year, which marked Hello Kitty’s 50th anniversary, Jill Koch, who is the director of retail business development at Sanrio, made a very confusing statement.
Jill said: ‘Hello Kitty is not a cat.’
She continued: ‘She’s actually a little girl born and raised in the suburbs in London.
‘She has a mom and dad and a twin sister Mimmy, who is also her best friend.
‘She enjoys baking cookies and making new friends.’
Jill went on to reveal that she weighs three apples and is five apples tall, has her own pet cat and also has a boyfriend.
But fans aren’t having any of it and have taken to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share their thoughts.
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How does redefining Hello Kitty as a little girl change your connection to the character?
Some took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share their confusion over the claim that Hello Kitty is not a cat
‘I have never seen a human being with real life whiskers and cat ears. THAT IS A CAT AND I WONT BE GASLIGHTED LIKE THIS!!!’
‘She will always be a kitty cat to us.’
‘Ummm…I’m sorry no. She’s a cat.’
‘That’s confusing.’
‘Yeah a human has whiskers.’
‘She’s Hello KITTY. She’s a cat.’
Sanrio’s website states: ‘Hello Kitty was born in the suburbs of London. She lives with her parents and her twin sister Mimmy who is her best friend.
‘Her hobbies include baking cookies and making new friends. As she always says, “you can never have too many friends!”‘
Sanrio previously stated that Hello Kitty was born in England and that she isn’t a cat.
Sanrio’s website states: ‘Hello Kitty was born in the suburbs of London. She lives with her parents and her twin sister Mimmy who is her best friend’
Back in 2014, Hello Kitty scholar Christine R. Yano, who is an anthropologist from the University of Hawaii, told LA Times that she was corrected when she referred to her as a cat.
‘That’s one correction Sanrio made for my script for the show. Hello Kitty is not a cat. She’s a cartoon character. She is a little girl,’ she told the publication.
‘She is a friend. But she is not a cat. She’s never depicted on all fours.
‘She walks and sits like a two-legged creature.
‘She does have a pet cat of her own, however, and it’s called Charmmy Kitty.’
The professor went on to explain the history behind her, and also knows that she likes apple pie and her star sign is Scorpio.
Christine added to the publication: ‘She has a twin sister. She’s a perpetual third-grader. She lives outside of London. I could go on.
‘A lot of people don’t know the story and a lot don’t care.
‘But it’s interesting because Hello Kitty emerged in the 1970s, when the Japanese and Japanese women were into Britain.
‘They loved the idea of Britain. It represented the quintessential idealized childhood, almost like a white picket fence.
‘So the biography was created exactly for the tastes of that time.’
Previously talking with BBC World Service’s Witness History, Yuko Shimizu – who left Sanrio in the 70s – opened up about the creation of Hello Kitty.
She recalled to the Beeb: ‘I had a young, female assistant and I showed her both the front and side profiles, and asked which she thought was cute.
‘She said she thought the side profile was the cutest.’
Talking about her inspiration behind the character, she said: ‘When I was a child, I got a small white kitten from my father for a birthday present.’
Yuzo has gone on to create Angel Cat Sugar and Rebecca Bonbon.
